Life in The Fast Lane
by Joyful Graveyard
Summary: Link, 3 years after his father's death, is sent to live with some family friends.  He gets thrown into his first year of high school with a bang.  He makes new friends, meets old enemies, and may even get hitched in the process.  AU
1. A New Home, a New Beginning

**Sup, guys! Joyful Graveyard here, and I wanted to thank Lyxie for giving me the idea for this fic. She's made some very good fics and one of them, "Ordinary Story", was one I found very amusing and compelling. Shame, because she didn't finish it... But anyway, this will probably incorporate a few elements of that story. It won't be a copy, I'll just be using a few ideas it gave me. For example, that story was a ZeLink story. This one... No. This pairing will come in due time, probably in like Chapter 5 or so. Anyways, so enjoy the Fic!**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Zelda.**

**-JG**

Link Van Helden stared, bored, out the window of the chrome 2005 Chevy Silverado he was currently riding in. He hated moving.

Sure, he'd always wanted to go out and visit a small town, but not like THIS. Not when he would never see his old home again, with his old friends, Mido and Saria. He wished things could've been different with his friends, but they didn't seem to be able to accept that he had to move from the large city they inhabited, with its many malls and cinemas and food courts and other city pleasantries… He prepared himself for the most boring life he had yet to lead, tightening his grip on his guitar.

See, his mom was rich. Like, REALLY rich. His dad died a while back, and his mother never seemed to get over that fact. She sent him away, feeling that he was "too much of a reminder of things she'd never have again". Of course, Link didn't agree with this, but it's not like he had a choice, either. Not only was his mother rich, she was also VERY influential. She was a high counselor to the Monarch of Hyrule, King Daphnes LXI. The king actually greeted him, once. That was a while ago, though; he doubted if His Highness actually remembered him after, maybe, the fist minute that they met. Anyway…

So here he was, waiting in his mother's attendant's car, clutching his vintage ebony black Gibson SG, listening to his black 160Gig iPod Classic, waiting for the end to come. So as he sat there in his green shirt (which had a Mario 1up mushroom printed on it with the words, "get a life, I already have 7"), blue jeans and green baseball cap, he noticed that the neighborhood he was going into was called…

"Hyrule Fields…" He looked around, while the attendant sighed, and said something that Link, due to his iPod blaring "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" by Quiet Riot. He took one earphone out to hear her say, "-sure you'll love their family. They have one girl who's about your age, and a boy who's a little younger. I don't remember the girl's name; something rather strange, I think. Of course, if you don't get along with them, there's really not much you can do… I don't think that'll happen though. You've grown into quite the young man…" She sighed again. "I'm truly sorry about the way your mother's acting, by the way. She's been so distraught ever since your father passed away… I just don't think she's quite ready to handle a child right now… I really am so sorr-"

Link cut her off, saying, "No, no, it's fine. It's not your fault, and it's not my mother's fault either. She couldn't predict- or keep away- dad's death, so…" he trailed off. The Silverado slowed down, and Link noticed that they were turning into a one-story house, and prepared to get out. He turned to his mother's attendant, saying, "This may be the last time we see each other, so I'd like to say thanks for all you've done for me." He turned to get out, holding the door open to see if she had something to say.

She did; "I'd also like to say thank you; time and time again, you prove yourself to be a step above the ordinary teenager. It's been a pleasure being around you, and I'll be darned if you don't find yourself some band that plays the music you love so much. Just remember- you'll find that risk harbors great reward, so you'll need to take that leap of faith eventually. If you fall, just get back up." She nodded, and continued, "Yes… Now, if only I had followed that advice in MY childhood…" She trailed off, shooting a knowing look in Link's direction. He thanked her one more time, bid her goodbye, grabbed his SG and closed the door. He jumped into the truck bed, grabbed one of his suitcases and practice amp, tossed the suitcase onto the ground, and placed the amplifier carefully on top of the suitcase. He then hopped out of the truck bed, landing right beside his amp and suitcase. He shouldered his guitar case, picked up his amp in his right hand, and opened the suitcase's carrying lever, grabbing hold of it with his left hand. The attendant opened her door and retrieved the other suitcase from the truck bed. She walked up to the front door with him, and rang the doorbell.

It was a girl, probably about Link's age, that answered the door. She smiled at them and said, "Are you the one who's moving in with us? I should probably go get dad, huh?" She turned around and called, "Dad, the new guy's here!" She turned back around to the boy and woman, chuckling a little.

The attendant turned to Link and said, "I think I'll be taking my leave now. Bye, Link." She gave him a hug, which slightly surprised the teen; he hadn't gotten a hug for the past 3 years, ever since his father passed into the afterlife. He stiffened up, memories of his father dying rushing into his mind. The assistant, noticing what Link was doing. She let go quickly, ashamed that she allowed him to feel so depressed, and walked off. Link was still stiff when she looked back. She whispered, "For what it's worth, I… I'm sorry."

Link faintly said, "Not… Not your fault… It wasn't your fault…" She smiled sadly, tears springing to her eyes. She waved slightly, and smiled a little bigger when she saw his hand twitch, then move into a two-fingered salute. "Bye, Miss."

"Bye, Link," She said, and then, emboldened, told him, "by the way, my name… It's Anju."

Link stared, surprised, before growing a small smile, and replied, "All right, then. Good-bye, Miss Anju." He smiled softly; she did the same. She then turned around and walked at a relaxed pace towards her Silverado. She got in the truck and drove off, leaving Link with two suitcases, a guitar, an amp, and a girl and her father standing in front of him.

The father began to grin a very wide grin, and ushered the green teen inside, grabbing Link's two suitcases. The girl offered to bring in his amp, and Link accepted her offer gratefully. The father led the way through the kitchen, making their way through what appeared to be the living room, onward into a three-door hallway. Mr. Dad opened the door on the far left, saying, "This'll be yours; I just hope it's to your liking. Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm terribly sorry. My name's Kaepora, but you can call me Kae. I'll be the best father figure I can. I'm truly sympathetic for the loss of your father; he was a good friend of our family. Oh," he cut himself off, realizing he was rambling, "but I haven't even allowed my daughter to introduce herself. Go on," he ushered, pushing his daughter forward. He then turned to leave, saying, "Dinner will be ready in about 30-40 minutes. Until then, make yourself at home!" He smiled, and closed the door.

"So, what's your name?" The girl questioned with a curious look on her face.

Link spoke up for the first time in about ten minutes, saying, "I'm Link Van Helden. What about you?"

"My name's Zelda. Zelda Harkinian. It's nice to know that I'll have someone my age around; Colin may be ten, but it's just not the same as having someone your age around. Do you like the room?" She changed the subject.

Link flowed with it, saying, "Yeah, it's a really nice room. I'll need to thank Mr. Kaepora for allowing me to stay with him."

Zelda mulled it over, "Yeah, it really was…" a faraway look entered her eyes, but she snapped back into reality and changed the subject abruptly. "What does your name mean, by the way?"

"My name?" Link asked, surprised. He grew a thoughtful look on his face. "I think it's Dutch or something. The "Link" part, I think, was because I was the missing link in my dad's life… Or something like that. The last name, though, is Dutch. It means "of heroes", so I assume it was from some Dutch noble family or something like that… But what about you?" he suddenly questioned. "Where does your name come from?"

Zelda grew into a contemplative facial expression. "I honestly… Have no idea." Her face became apologetic as she said, "I'm sorry, but I really just don't know. Maybe I'll ask Dad… He'll probably know."

Link laughed, "Yeah, he seems like the kind of guy that knows everything…" Zelda laughed.

"Yeah, but did you know he was named after a talking owl that helped a legendary hero?" She claimed.

Link shook his head, "no, no I did not."

Zelda made a face, saying, "Well then, clearly I know more than you do!"

Link, appearing shocked, replied, "Fair maiden, how your words doth wound mine soul!"

Zelda laughed and shot back, "Such was their intent, my good sire!"

Kae opened the door and interjected, "Okay, Mr. and Ms. Shakespeare debate team, wash up. Hope you're hungry, 'cause it's enchilada time!" Link's eyes lit up and Zelda started bouncing as they washed up and made their way out to the dinner table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~done

**So? How was it? I know, I know, I've got some work to do. Still! Review, and tell me:**

**Like?**

**Dislike?**

**Flame? (Note- these will be used to roast marshmallows on a cold winter night)**

**R&R and thanks again for reading! See ya in about a week!**

**-JG**


	2. Dinner, Practice, and Consolation

**Yo! Joyful Graveyard here again, and sorry for misleading you guys! I really felt bad about telling you it would take so long :( I actually did this all today, so if it's good, then great! I told myself I would have at least 2 stories to my name by the time the New Year came around. To me, stories have at least 2 chappies. "The End" is a prequel to "All I Want", so that's two, but then I realized: I ONLY HAVE 1 CHAPTER ON THIS ONE! So I hastened to figure out a plot for this chapter, and I think it came together quite nicely, in fact.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-JG**

**DISCLAIMER: do not own Zelda, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses, or any of the songs by said bands. **

Link walked into the cavernous dining room and gaped. "How in the WORLD did you fit this under your ROOF?" He exclaimed.

Kae laughed, and replied, "I really don't know myself, but we managed to do it! Why don't you take a look around?" Link obliged, and began a thorough inspection of the room. The first thing that caught his eye was the 5-seat dining room table. It was made of something that looked harder than wood…

Kae looked at what caught his eye, and made a face. "I'm actually not too fond of the table, but that may be because it's made of some new material called Deku bark. They say that about a year back, some archaeologist found a giant tree with bark that's easy to remove from the tree, but as soon as you do that, it becomes nearly as hard as diamond. I guess it makes sense that we would have it, seeing as we have Colin constantly running around the house… but anyway." He knocked on the table and changed the subject, "So how do you like your new room? I trust it'll be good enough?"

Link paused, then answered, "It's perfect. Thank you for showing me such hospitality when you already have two children to take care of. It really is too kind of you. If there's anything I can do, like extra chores or working extra or-"

Kae cut him off, laughing. He said, "No, no, we're glad to have you! Don't worry, we don't need anything done. Although," he continued, growing a thoughtful look on his face, "if we do have anything we need done, we'll give you a call. Don't worry though, because I don't think you'll be too busy doing chores around here!" He laughed again; a strange sound that sounded almost like an owl hooting. He turned around and grabbed two plates, setting them on two adjacent placemats (there were five) currently populating the table. He gestured to one of them, and Link took the gesture as an invitation to sit down, but before doing that, he assisted in setting the table with the food, which consisted of a pan filled to the brim with enchilada-y goodness, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and various drinks. Once finished, Kae said, "You do realize you didn't have to do that… right? I could've set it myself…"

Link shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't think that would be fair, per se. I mean, you're supplying me with a home, food, drink, friends, and a bunch of other stuff. I don't think that I would really be returning the favor very well if I were to let you and Zelda do all of the work."

Kae chuckled. "Fine, you win this round, but I won't have you running around doing all the chores for us… After all, how spoiled would that make the other kids?" He shook his head, still smiling. "No, I believe you'll be doing the same amount that everyone else will. No more, no less. If you're going to be a part of the family, you aren't gonna be treated like a servant while I'm still around! No, siree! Of course, I believe I can count on you not to be a total laze either… "

Link saluted, and replied in a military voice," SIR YES SIR! I promise, I will make the best soldier that I can be mended into! I will need your help, however! You must be the hands that mold the clay into its most powerful form! You must be the record company that helps the aspiring band make it to new heights! You must be-"

Zelda came in from the backyard and punched his arm, cutting him off with, "I think we've had enough of the analogies there, Private. Come on, let's eat!" Following her inside was a boy of about 9 or 10, followed by a very tall woman that was holding a dog in her hand. "By the way mom, I'd like to introduce you to our newest resident, Link Van Helden. He, obviously, likes green." She grinned, and Mrs. Mom put the dog onto the floor before coming over and sweeping him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hello, dearie! I hope you like it here so far. You've already met half of the family, I see!" She laughed and continued, "My name is Mamamu, but I do love it when my children call me Mama. The little one beside me is Colin. He's kind of shy, but once you two get to know each other, I'm sure you'll be great friends. This here," she gestured at the dog now drinking out of a bowl of milk on the floor, "Is Jabun. He's quite the little puppy, isn't he? We named him after the fish deity of the old legends of Zoras. He's kind of small now, but those black labs… Boy, do they grow fast!" She laughed again, but realized she was holding up dinner. "Come, come!" She moved into a chair next to Kae, whose cheek she promptly pecked. Kae gestured to everyone to come on, smiling, and the family began eating.

Link began to cut his enchilada in a polite manner, but Zelda punched his arm- the SAME ONE. _Great, by the end of the week I'll have a bruise_, he thought, but was secretly grateful because he never had a brother or sister to fool around with… Unless you counted Aryll… _No, _he thought, _Not gonna get into that here._ He tuned back in to hear Zelda say, "-aren't really all that necessary at the family table. Watch and learn!" She then promptly shoved half of an enchilada into her mouth, mumbling contentedly. Link took that as a challenge, and, grinning, shoved an entire enchilada into his mouth! Zelda looked at him, wide eyed, before swallowing and saying, dejectedly, "Okay, you win." The corners of her mouth then twitched up, ruining the sour face she had on before, as she said, "just make sure you can swallow, Mick Jagger!" She started laughing, and Link almost choked on his enchilada laughing. Kae and Mama looked at each other, before smiling almost in complete synchrony and nodding at each other.

The rest of the dinner went on in much of the same manner, with Link and Zelda cracking jokes to one another, such as Link's "Two people are in a police car, locked up. One's a Gerudo, while the other is a Hylian. One of the two doesn't belong. Guess which." At Zelda's shrug, he said, "The Gerudo; the Hylian was actually arrested." Zelda burst out in a fit of the giggles.

After dinner, the three children and their father sat around the TV and watched the television news program _Hyrule Report_. After learning that a band of Gerudo thieves had hijacked a trading merchant's cart earlier today and were currently holding the driver for ransom, Link asked if he could retire to his room; he still had yet to practice his guitar tonight. Kae nodded, and Link walked into his room.

He could still smell the enchiladas from the kitchen as he got out his beautiful 1976 Gibson SG. Its ebony finish shined in the light of the ceiling fan as he sat on his bed and started plucking strings to ensure that he was in tune. After confirming that he was indeed in tune, he got out his iPod classic and laid it on his bed, before rummaging around in one of the suitcases to find his iPod charger/ speaker system. He plugged said speaker system into a power outlet next to his dresser, and sat his iPod onto the charging dock. He then turned it on, and changed the song to a familiar one. He waited as the drums pounded along, before hearing a ride cymbal intro and, after another measure, slid into one of his tapping sweeps. He began getting into the feel of the music, but then realized he couldn't do this song sitting down. It had way too much boogie. He paused the song, before standing up and retrieving a strap from his guitar case. It was a yellow strap that read, _Caution: Master Shredder comin' your way._ He strapped it onto his guitar and hefted it onto his shoulder, restarting the song. As he began the tapping again, he started feeling it come upon him again- the urge to begin dancing the night away, with his guitar- but here comes the vocals!

The vocals came in as a regular person saying,

"Aw, WOW, man, I said... Wait a second, man… Whaddaya think the teacher's gonna look like this year?" As if he realized that the teacher came in, he said, "WHOOA!" then a grunt, as he began singing.

"_T-t-teacher, stop that screamin', _

_Teacher don't you see-E?_

_Don't wanna be no up-town fool…"_

**FASTFORWARD- ABOUT 2 HOURS**

As Link was jamming out to some Motley Crue, Zelda came in and started talking. Link, however, couldn't hear her over the large NOISE. So, once "Dr. Feelgood" was over, he turned off his iPod, with the amp going off shortly after. Zelda harrumphed, and said, "Did you even hear what I said?"

Link rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, no? Sorry, there wasn't really a good place for me to stop there until the end…" He trailed off, and looked at her. She, however, was looking at something else.

"Is that yours?" She asked, pointing at the guitar he held in his hand. Then, she realized how stupid of a question that was, and Link bit back a chuckle. She then said, "Sorry. I'm a bit of an idiot, to ask that, huh?" She looked down.

Link pushed her chin up until it was level to his. He then said, "There are no stupid questions…" he then trailed off as he remembered the second part of that saying, biting back another chuckle. He continued, though, as if he hadn't. "Anyway, so yeah, it's mine. I call her the "Black Beauty", for obvious reasons. It was my father's before mine. He gave it to me a few years back… Probably when I was about eleven. He told me, 'Link, I wanna see you master that guitar, okay?' I nodded, and started playing it for him… Then he became terminally ill, but I never gave up. I played the hardest song I knew, just for him. He pulled me in close, and told me, 'Link, I want you to never, EVER give up on that instrument. You hear me? You have too much talent to let it go to waste.' I nodded vigorously, even though after playing the song I had played, I was kinda tired. I left, and that was the last I saw of him until… Until his funeral…" He trailed off, sobbing, and noticed that he was shedding tears. He hastened to clean them up, but Zelda grabbed his hand, telling him that it wasn't bad for him to cry.

Zelda then asked him, "What was the song you played for him, if you don't mind me asking?"

Link smiled a teary smile, and played the next song on his iPod's playlist. The backlight shone, showing the song "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns n' Roses.

**So? How was it? Don't forget to leave a review in my little inbox! Thanks again for coming, and come back soon! I'll have another chappie up by the end of next week, hopefully. See you all laterz!**

**-JG**


	3. Mall?  Hmm Okay

**Hey guys, Joyful Graveyard here with a new chapter! This is by far one of my favorite stories to write, and I hope it's as much fun reading it as I like to think it is ;) So anyway, a few new characters are introduced, and madness and stuff ensues. So yeah. Have fun reading! **

**-JG**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Zelda.**

The month passed by quickly, but was one of the best months Link had ever been a part of. Link found a new best friend and sister in Zelda, and after two weeks, he almost completely forgot about Mido and Saria. He met up with Zelda's friends at the mall when she dragged him along. He protested, saying that he already had enough clothes. Zelda explained that this wasn't for shopping; Link had yet to make a friend outside of the house at the time of the first mall trip.

So, Link came along, grumbling and griping, as Kae drove them to the mall. "It's not going to be that bad," Kae consoled. "There's going to be a few guys there; I think one of them plays drums, as well. One of them, now that I think about it, looks just like you! It's kind of weird, but what's weirder is that he requested that you come along on Zelda's next outing. His name is Yami, I think. Do you know him?" They had stopped at an intersection, and Kae turned his head around, a curious look on his face.

Link's face lit up. "Yami? Oh, he's my cousin. On my dad's side of the family. He's a really cool guy, once you get past his 'gloom-and-doom' façade. I never really got to see him, because we lived so far away from each other, but it's good to know that he lives here." He grinned, and said, "At least I know I'll have one friend while I'm here, huh?"

Zelda pouted, and shot back, "Then what am I, huh?"

Link laughed, "Why, sister, I truly am surprised you didn't realize! You are…" He fumbled for a word, "Um, my sister!"

Zelda giggled at his uncomfortable look, and said, "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, _BRO_."

Link mocked hurt, and said, "You harm my pride, Zelda!"

Zelda mocked sadism, replying, "But of course, because that is my one goal in life!" She then got a little more serious (But that's still not saying much) and she started ranting about her friends.

Shiek was the first person she started talking about. Shiek was Zelda's cousin, and apparently, he was obsessed with an old race called the Shiekah. After all, Zelda explained, wouldn't you be interested in where your name came from?

She then started talking about a girl named Midna. Apparently, she was short, with orange hair, but she made jokes about them all the time, calling herself a "small fry" and a "carrot top". She was also a very feisty kind of person, and didn't take orders very well. This, of course, made Zelda surprised when Midna started working at her uncle's restaurant as a waitress. Link cracked up at the image in his head, of a short girl working at a bar on which she could only get up to her neck at.

Then, Zelda began describing Malon. Her father worked as a ranch owner of Lon Lon Ranch(which sells the best milk in the WORLD, in her opinion), and she sometimes helped out with the work on the ranch. She was a pro at horseback riding, and she's probably one of the smartest people Zelda knows.

Then, Zelda started talking about Darmani. He was HUGE, according to her, and could play drums better than anyone, ever. He calls everyone he knows "bro" or "sis", and his father was the gym teacher at their high school. His father, Darunia, was put in some magazine for being one of the strongest people in the country, but he was a big softy, according to Zelda. He has a very strong loyalty toward his friends, which passed on to Darmani. Darmani once beat up a bully because they were making fun of his buddy Mikau.

…Which is who Zelda started talking about next. He played bass guitar, and apparently, was a total beast at it. He was a bit of a nerd, but minus the glasses, and plus a little social aptitude. Mikau, apparently, was Darmani's best friend, and one wouldn't be found without the other nearby.

"Not that they're gay," Zelda continued, "they both have girlfriends. But they were in elementary school together, and Darmani was being made fun of because he was really big. The other kids started calling him fat, but Mikau stood up for him, saying that if Darmani was fat, then the rest of the kids were toothpicks." She chuckled, and continued, "Ever since then they've been the best of friends."

After that explanation, Zelda paused for a breath. She then plunged right back in, "Then there's Tetra. She's like dark, except a bit more… energetic. She's kinda a bitch to people when they first meet her, but she grows on you eventually."

Link shuddered, and replied, "She sounds like a handful…"

Zelda giggled a little, "Yes, that she is, Link, that she definitely is."

Kae, forgotten by the two teens, began talking again, "Hey, you two, we've arrived." He drove into a parking spot, before turning around to flash the two a quick smile. He then gave each of them a $50 bill, and said, "Go wild, guys. I'll be here at about, oh say, 4:00. Sound good?" Zelda glanced at the clock, which glowed a bright **1:36**. She nodded, but Link was staring at the bill.

"Um, Mr. Kae, I can't take this. Seriously, I have my own money, just in case I see something." He handed the bill back, but Kae wouldn't accept it.

"No, you're going to take the bill. Consider this your first chore; you have to spend at least $45 of that $50 bill, and keep the rest of the money."

Link scowled playfully, "Fine, I see how it is. But really," his face became serious. "Thank you, Mr. Kae."

Kae nodded, "No problem. By the way, no 'Mr. Kae' anymore. Call me 'Kae', or 'dad', but no more 'Mr. Kae'. It sounds like I'm a teacher."

Link smiled, and replied, "sure, I can do that." Kae shooed them off, before leaving them at the entrance to the food court. Link then asked to no one in particular, "So, what to do first?" Then his stomach growled.

Zelda grinned at him, and replied, "Well, seeing as we didn't have lunch and I told my friends to meet us at a table in the food court, I suggest we go to the food court!"

Link chuckled sheepishly, and said, "Okay, okay, let's just go." Zelda just grinned again, before walking into the facility. Link followed her in, before gaping at the size. "This place… It's- it's-"

Zelda cut off his stuttering, "Huge? Giant? Cheap?" He still stood there, with his mouth much resembling that of a goldfish. She pulled on his arm, "C'mon, Nemo, let's go meet some people."

Link snapped out of his trance shortly after, before running to the nearest food stand, which happened to be a Chik-Fil-A. he studied the menu before quickly deciding on what he wanted.

As the man in front of him stepped aside with a bag of (presumably) food, Link stepped up to the counter. The cashier asked, "Welcome to Chik-Fil-A, what can I get you today?"

Link replied with a question of his own. "Can I just get a plain chicken sandwich? No pickles or anything, please."

The cashier nodded, and inquired, "Anything else?"

Link shook his head, and replied, "Nope, that'll do it for now, thanks." The cashier nodded and put the numbers into the register. It came out as a clear, crisp **3:18**. Link handed the man a $5 bill, and received his change.

Zelda, after getting her order, joined him, and said, "'Kay, let's grab a big table." They did just that, and eventually, a person who looked very similar to Link came along. He, on the other hand, had black hair and was wearing a black Metallica shirt with the logo _…And Justice for All_, with a pair of black jeans and a black hat that had a skull and crossbones logo on the front and a symbol on the back, with the word "Darkness" underneath the symbol.

He noticed Link, and his red eyes lit up. "Link! Is that you?"

Link nodded, and replied, "Yes indeed it is, Yami! It's been way too long, hasn't it?" Yami nodded, and Link stood up. He noticed that, once again, he and Yami were the exact same height. He inquired, " did you get colored contacts?" Yami nodded, and he sat down next to Link's chair.

Yami asked, "You still playing Uncle Jim's guitar?" Link nodded.

"You still playing yours?" Yami nodded as well, then chuckled. Link looked confused as to what was funny.

"You know," Yami explained, "That's the only thing you're better than me at. I wouldn't have it any other way, either, cause I can still kick your ass at sports."

Link chuckled, and replied, "Yeah, well, don't forget martial arts. I'm still doing that."

Yami shot back,"Yeah, but we're on equal ground on that one, Link. Your Tae Kwon Do is like the perfect rival art to my Karate, so…"

Link conceded, "Yeah, true, true. Hey look," he then interjected, "who's that?" He pointed at a slightly short girl with blonde hair, which was put up into a bun. She also wore a red neckerchief, along with a blue vest over a blue shirt.

Yami looked over, before shrugging. "Oh, that's Tetra. She's kinda…"

Link picked up where he left off, "a handful?"

Yami laughed, "well, that's one way to put it. I was gonna say a bitch, but ya know-"

He got cut off as Tetra said, "Yeah, I know." She turned to Link, and said, "Who's the kid?"

Link stood up and introduced himself. "Link Van Helden, at your service. Who're you?"

She looked at his hand, before taking it in a firm handshake. "Tetra. I don't think you need to know my last name, 'cause you'll just find out when we get back to school anyhow." She tightened her grip on Link's hand, but Link, never one to back down, began matching her grip. Eventually, however, she won out, and nearly crushed his hand in her grip.

He quickly conceded after that, saying, "Okay, okay, you win." She let go of his hand, grinning, and he thought, _I could totally get used to this chick. _

**SCENE BREAK**

Link sat at home, looking at the shirt that was currently populating his bed. It had a green background, with three gold triangles stacked in a pyramid with a triangular hole in the middle. In the top triangle was the letter F, in the bottom left was T, and the bottom right held W. He smiled, approving of the shirt, before hanging it in his closet and shutting off his light, falling into a deep sleep.

**So? What didja think? Lemme know in a review! Hopefully I'll finish the next chappie soon, but I might not, so don't hold me to that. I've got a lot going on tommorow, so expect it by Wednesday. Till then, I'm out!**

**-JG**


	4. Practice, Horseplay, and a Factory?

**Cue the music!**

***I'm BACK IN BLACK! I've hit the sack! I betcha know, I'm glad to be back, yes I'm let loose, from the noose, that's had me hangin' about-***

**'kay, that's enough. Anyways, I'm so sorry this has taken so long! In a show of my remorse, I've decided to make this chappie much longer than the others. Hope you like!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Zelda, "Electric Eye" by Judas Priest, or "Painkiller" by Judas Priest.**

**-JG**

"**EH?"** Zelda cried, shocked.

Kae sighed. "Yes, Zelda, school. Sometimes, you DO have to go. After all, education is mildly necessary to go anywhere in life."

"Not true," Link interjected. "For example, I'm gonna be a rock legend, so school becomes obsolete."

Kae looked at him owlishly for a while. After a pregnant pause, he said, "…But do you have a band?"

Link sighed, "No. No, I don't."

Kae replied, "So, by going to school, you might be able to find one… Riiiiiight?" Link nodded, successfully trounced. Kae, satisfied, continued, "There's a reason for you to go… Do you have a girlfriend?"

Link hung his head. "Nope."

Kae triumphantly said, "Reason two!" Link sighed again, and Kae continued rambling, "Reason number three-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Link cut him off. Kae grinned, reveling in his victory.

"So, dad," Zelda cut in, "Since we're going back to school, will we need new stuff?"

Kae's grin became a little wider. "Yep, and you know what that means…"

Zelda's face broke into a huge grin. "Trip to the factory?" She asked hopefully.

Kae nodded, "Trip to the factory." Link was extremely confused. A factory? Why would they visit a factory, of all places? Kae broke into his thoughts and dismissed the two teens with, "okay, now go play music and stuff."

Zelda and Link retired to Link's quarters. Link got out Black Beauty, and started warming up while Zelda sat herself on his bed. As he was warming up, Link turned on his iPod dock and asked, "So, what's this about a factory?"

Zelda explained, "A friend of dad's owns a ginormous business chain, and he built a factory nearby. He invited us once, and offered to sell his stuff for 25% the original price. Not 25% off, mind you. 75% off, I guess. So, now we just go over there every year before school starts.

Link nodded. "Okay, guess that makes sense. So all those kids from the mall last week, do they…" He trailed off and focused on the solo he was playing. It was "Electric Eye", a song by Judas Priest. Zelda jokingly imitated headbanging as he was playing. Link, although having shorter hair, chuckled and showed her how it was done. As he started playing a difficult section, he began to bang his head in true metalhead fashion. Zelda, trounced, turned his iPod dock off.

Link stopped his playing abruptly, and gasped. Zelda replied, "Yeah. I did it. So, what were you gonna ask me?"

Link's eyes lit up as he remembered. "Oh yeah, does everybody from the mall last week go to our school?"

Zelda giggled, "Well, I hope not, some of them were well into their 60's!"

Link gave her a look that said, _Really?_ "I'm pretty sure you knew what I meant…"

Zelda nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, I did… Just like to mess with your head." She poked his head, and he protested. She chuckled a little, then continued, "But yeah, they do. Mikau and Darmani actually live just a few blocks from here. You could walk there if you wanted…"

Link looked at her oddly. "They… Live together, then?"

Zelda giggled again. "Nah, just next door to each other." Link nodded to show his understanding, and went back to playing Black Beauty.

Link then asked, "So could you give me their address and phone number sometime?"

Zelda replied, "Yeah, sure, why not?" Link nodded, satisfied. Zelda, meanwhile, was looking through Link's iPod. She asked him, "So, can you play…. THIS?" She turned the iPod dock back on, and Link heard drums. Drums, drums, pounding away like a machine gun at 60 bullets per second. It then automatically slowed down to 2 bps, as Link helped himself to a blazing lead guitar riff, the one from "Painkiller" by Judas Priest. The lead vocalist came in, practically screaming the high-pitched lyrics of the song. It continued like this until he reached the bridge, where Link brought it up a key. All was going well… Until he reached the solo, where Link was hard-pressed to keep up with the expert guitarist on the track, and made many mistakes, growing more aggravated with each mistake he made. He sighed in disappointment and aggravation, and turned the iPod dock off.

"So," Link said in a serious tone, "You found my one weakness." He advanced, and Zelda would have felt mildly threatened if not for the laughter in his eyes. Then, he stopped, right in front of Zelda. He spun 180 degrees and plopped down on the bed, right beside her. He then promptly started tickling her to death, saying, "Whatcha gonna do about it huh? HUH?"

Zelda, tears in her eyes, replied, "I… haha… think that the question should... haha… be what you're gonna do about it!" Zelda hopped off the bed, and said, "I think the answer is… Practice your measly green arse off!"

Link rolled his eyes, and replied sarcastically, "Oh, I NEVER would've thought of THAT." He got onto his knees, confusing Zelda, and began to bow down to her. "All hail, great queen of the obvious! Her powers of observation are second to none, and her speaking skills are unmatched!"

Zelda, having seen enough, kicked him in the kneecap playfully. "Kay, that's enough, slave. Now, go do something… productive."

"But, your Highness! I need your keen powers of observation so you can tell me what needs to be done!" Link protested jokingly.

Giggling, Zelda answered, "Well… ummm… I don't really know, clean the toilet or something."

Link, apparently, had had enough of the oppression. "REVOLUTION!"

Zelda, ever the obvious, cried, "Oh no! There's a revolution!" Her gaze turned thoughtful, "Maybe we should tell them to go away… Nah."

Link, bored of the games, jumped on his bed and asked, "So what's this about a factory?"

Zelda, coming back into character, replied, "Oh, that's just something that came up. A good friend of the family owns a factory where they literally create school equipment. You can- no joke- ask them for ANYTHING, and they'll make it… As long as it involves bags, books or pencils, of course."

Link nodded. "Of course."

"AND, the owner, in a nice manner, allowed us to have it for 75% off!" At Link's blank expression, she added, "Hey, that's a lot of money we save."

Link's eyes slowly closed, and he fell onto his bed, snoring. Zelda shook her head, and chuckled, "Maybe I should've told him about the "Bring-a-friend" policy..." She thought a little longer, then shook her head, smirking. "Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah." She left his room, and prepared to go to sleep.

**SCENE BREAK**

At approximately 11:19:49 AM the next morning, Zelda came into Link's room and tried to wake the sleeping dragon. "Hey, Link!" She yelled as she shook his shoulder hard, "LIIIIINKKKKKK!" bored, she reared back… and punched his arm. Hard.

"GAH!" Link shot up, shouting in pain. He turned eyes of deepest hatred towards his surrogate sister. He growled, "That… Was my bad arm…"

Zelda, giggling, said, "Yeah, well, we're going to the factory in about, oh… She looked at her watch. "20 minutes?" She winked at him. "Best get ready."

Link was staring blankly at Zelda, until the words finally sank in. His eyes widened, and he turned towards the sky. "**UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**-"

Zelda covered his mouth, effectively silencing his crescendo. "No cursing! Jeez! Oh, and Tetra's coming too." She smirked as his facial expressions went from shock, to surprise, to betrayal, before finally settling on fear.

"Oh, no…" He whispered. _This is gonna be a looooong trip…_

**SCENE BREAK**

Tetra shoved Link forward, ignoring his whine of protest. "Look, kid, you freakin' sat in the car, being a silent recluse, while me and Zelda were chattin' away. Could ya have made a better impression?" He put her face up into his. "So why don't you just DEAL WITH IT!"

"Tetra, I'm gonna be honest here. I'm pretty sure I'm older than you… Are you older than Yami?"

Tetra shook her head, bemused. "No, why?"

Link grinned, victorious. "Cuz I am, which makes me older than you, meaning you can't call me kid."

Tetra shook her head again, but this time, it was out of aggravation, not confusion. "And yet, ya still act WAY more like a kid than me, which means I can still call you kid."

Link wouldn't go down that easily, however. "And yet, I have a vaster vocabulary, such as the word 'IMMATURITY'. Ever heard of it?"

Tetra pushed him jokingly, and replied, "Well, well, well, looks like we got a little Einstein on our hands here." She noticed something off to the side, and grabbed it. It was a backpack, a beautiful royal blue, with a boat's steering wheel stitched onto the front, colored brown. "I like this one!" She announced, then turned to Link. "You know," she stated conversationally, "You should probably get one too. Start of a new school year and all."

Link nodded. "Yeah, probably should, huh?" He pulled a face when he saw the remaining backpacks; they were either pink, brown or purple, his three least favorite colors! "These are disgusting colors, though… Where are the green ones?" he asked Tetra.

Tetra shrugged. "Hell if I know, but maybe we can ask that guy." She pointed to a random worker, who looked their way, and Tetra dragged Link over to the guy. "Hey, I'm Tetra, and this guy-" Link raised his hand- "Is Link. We're looking for some-" She looked over at Link with a questioning gaze.

"Green," Link put in helpfully.

"Right, green backpacks. Any idea where they are…" She looked at his nametag. "Jonathan?"

The worker, whom we now know as Jonathan, nodded, smiling, and led them over to a section of wall dedicated to just green backpacks. Link looked them over, and chose a simple one, forest green and medium size. He turned to Jonathan, and asked, "Is there any way I can get something stitched onto here?"

Jonathan nodded, and asked, "What colors do you want? Blue? Yellow? Red?"

Link scratched the back of his head, and chuckled, "Nah, just black, thanks."

Jonathan brightened up, and led him over into what appeared to be a sewing machine. "So," he asked, "What is it that you want?"

Link answered automatically, "Just a black Gibson SG guitar. That'd be awesome."

Jonathan smiled, "Okay! Can do!" and got to work. In a few moments, the factory worker had finished the design, and Link found it to be quite impressive, so he paid the man a few extra bucks.

Tetra looked at the design, bemused. "What's the deal with that?"

Link grinned. "Why, that's my guitar. She goes by Black Beauty. I'll show you when we get back to the house." Then he looked around. "Hey, where'd Zelda go?"

Tetra laughed. "Well, we'd sure better go find her, huh?"

Link grinned. Maybe Tetra wasn't so bad after all.

**SCENE BREAK**

_All in all, it was a pretty good day, _Link thought to himself. Zelda came in earlier, modeling her new backpack. Yep… She was modeling her BACKPACK. It was just a simple purple backpack, nothing too flashy, but nothing too shabby either. Tetra stole his iPod on the way home, causing him to actually have to talk to them! Of course, it wasn't all that bad, Link was just overreacting… But anyways, as they came home, Link played his guitar for Zelda and Tetra, which actually- believe it or not- _Impressed Tetra! _ Anyways, so that brings us to where we are now, with a satisfied Link hitting the hay.

His sleep would be plagued, however, with dreams… And not of the good kind…

**ooooooh, cliffie! I'm so cruel. :P So, you know the drill! Tell me if it was good, bad, okay, etc etc etc. But please, no flames; flames are not fun.**

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**Thank you so much!**

**-JG**


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